Isaac C. Landis (1843-1931) established this farmstead around 1870 on a 52-acre parcel. It consisted primarily of the wooden frame house in front of you and a medium-size barn, both painted red. In 1908, the barn burned down and he had it rebuilt. In 1925, Henry Hess Landis (1888-1963) and his wife, Mary Rohrer (Buckwalter) Landis (1889-1977), purchased this property.
Henry Hess Landis, a Mennonite farmer, remodeled the barn to stable 18 milk cows, built a milk house for cooling and bottling, and bought a new truck for a dairy delivery route. He also installed machinery in the barn to grind and bag livestock feed for sale. In about 1936, he sold the dairy route rather than investing in pasteurization equipment. Henry Hess Landis added other businesses to his farm. In the 1930's, he became a franchised dealer for Case Company farm equipment, and between that decade and the 1950s, he and his family also sold poultry, eggs, lumber, and briefly, groceries. He also held annual auctions of consigned farm equipment. While he switched from the Case franchise to selling Minneapolis-Moline tractors and equipment about 1955, the feed mill remained the family's main business.
(Inscription below the photo in the lower right) Landis Valley Dairy Truck , late 1920s.
(Inscription below the photo in the upper center) Henry H & Mary Landis Family, 1943.
(Inscription below the photo in the lower center) In the late 1930s Landis purchased delivery trucks for this livestock feed business. Daughter Emma sits on the running board.
(Inscription below the photo in the upper right) Isaac Landis Farmstead, c.1900.
(Inscription below the photo in the lower right)Case tractor and equipment mid 1930s, H.H. Landis to right of the sign.
The museum thanks the children and grandchildren of Henry H. and Mary Landis for providing history and images for this display.
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